-----Original Message----- From: tucola Sent: 13 June 2005 19:29 To: motorcycling guru guy Subject: Question You said that you were happy to receive emails if we had any riding questions, so if you don't mind, I'm going to fire away with something. Today I did my first track day since I did level 3 on 18 May 2005, at Brands Indy. To spare you the suspense, this story ends with me chucking it down the road; - hence the question - but I'll start with the background. I was practicing the techniques and felt things were going really well. The level 3 body position stuff was great, but as ever, a really useful thing was the quick turn and the two step vision drill. I really felt like I had loads of time and was able to carry plenty of speed into the corners without feeling at all out of control. I asked one of the instructors to have a look at my riding to make sure I had the lines more or less right for the track and he said my lines were great, with good late entries into the corners, smooth throttle control through the turns and good body position. He said I had plenty of ground clearance to spare and his only tip if I wanted to go faster was, well, to try gradually going a bit faster - there was nothing wrong with what I was doing. So far, so good. But now the problem: I was going much quicker whenever I got clear track (I reckon, like, 10 seconds a lap on a 60 second lap) and I was getting really held up by traffic. Some of the other riders were going much slower into the turns than I wanted to go, but when I came up on them, that was slowing me down to the extent that when we both got on the gas on the exit, I'd slowed down too much to get past on the straights, when of course they were comfortable cracking open the throttle. I was finding myself really distracted by the slower riders in the turns. When thinking about passing, I was constantly worrying about what they were going to do. This was causing me to roll off the throttle as I came up to them and bringing me down to their pace. Then, I couldn't get past. Occasionally, a quicker rider in the group would then ride around or inside both of us on a corner at a corner speed that I had been perfectly comfortable with when on clear track. In the end, I went in to Druids, got distracted by a guy I'd been trying to pass for about 3 laps who was suddenly right in front of me because he'd hit the brakes harder than I had, target-fixated on his bike, panicked, stood the bike up and ran wide onto the grass on the left hand side of the exit, losing control and low-siding it. Doh! Totally kicked myself as i was going down the road. I could have easily made that corner with a small push on the r/h bar or even a hook turn. Classic survival reaction self-sabotaging behavior! Anyway, I couldn't get the bike back together in time to get back out so that was it for the day. So, what do I need to do? Is my problem that I am not sufficiently comfortable with my riding at this level, in that it goes to pieces when I am distracted by other riders? Do I just need to practice when I can on clear track and not worry about passing if I come up against someone slower - i.e just go slower and leave passing for another day. Or do you have any tips about how to deal with passing safely that might help me? OK, for my spiritual growth, I'm going to try a bit of self-diagnosis - please feel free to debunk: it's about looking in the right place. Don't look too much at the bike in front beyond an initial assessment and then peripheral awareness. Maintain your speed into the corner and look where you want to go. You are going faster than the guy who is coasting so once you're through the door you see open in front of you, he's not going to close the door and hit you, because you're already on the gas and away. I hope that makes sense and I'd be grateful for any insight. Thanks tucola -----Original Message from motorcycling guru guy Hi tucola You will put me out of a job! :) The last paragraph is perfect, I only have one question for you: Are you looking for the door to open on the inside or outside of the rider infront? All the best -----Original Message----- From: tucola Sent: 14 June 2005 14:29 To: motorcycling guru guy Subject: Re: Question Depends on the corner, but mostly inside, I'd say. To take somewhere like Graham Hill bend at Brands as an example, I'd find myself coming alongside the rider in front, with me to his right-hand side. I'm waiting for my lateish turn-in point to square the corner off. He's already turned and is going slower, hence I've come alongside him. I want to turn quick and late and come past on the inside as the other rider takes a more looping line through the corner, being leaned over for much longer and carrying less speed. I then straighten up and get away on the gas down the left-hand side of the straight, ready to pull over to the right in front of him, ready for Surtees. But what I found myself doing was worrying about what the other guy was going to do and slowing down, meaning that although I was still taking the more squared off line, I wasn't coming alongside until the exit, by which time we'd both straightened up, with me on the left and him on the right. Then, we both get on the gas and unless the other guy is on a less powerful bike, I have to drop in behind because he stays abreast of me and I need the right-hand side of the track for the entry to the next corner. But round Clearways, outside. I was able to carry more speed around Clearways than quite a few people in the group, meaning that a door was opening on the left-hand side just after the apex to fire away down the straight on the left. My worry here was that the guy in front would unpredictably drift to the left, causing me to run out of track and forcing me onto the grass. This meant that I only dared use this move to get past people who were going MUCH slower - such that I could blast past them very quickly. With people who were just five seconds a lap slower, I'd lose my nerve and back off. Partly because the speeds were high around Clearways and I felt that being forced wide there could have pretty bad consequences. Is there a preferred option? You're going to say that this is just a matter of practice to build confidence in traffic and stop worrying so much about the other riders, aren't you...! Incidentally, do you get this sort of thing a lot? You tell people how to go round corners; great, on clear track, it works!! Then, they go to a track day and they're like "hey, what are all these other guys doing in the 'wrong' places on the track here getting in my way, I think I'm going to crash"... Shortly followed by a crash. tucola -----Original Message from motorcycling guru guy ----- Hi tucola You are correct in what you trying to do. The only problem is your target fixation. What you need to practise is your Wide View. Do you recall that from Level 2? All the best -----Original Message----- From: tucola Sent: 14 June 2005 14:58 To: motorcycling guru guy Subject: Re: Question Think so. Trying to move the awareness to different points without moving the vision, wasn't it? I can check in TOTW this evening. Thanks for your help. -----Original Message from motorcycling guru guy----- Yes, but if you get stuck then contact me All the best